FOTODOKS
Festival for contemporary
documentary photography
FOTODOKS
Festival for contemporary documentary photography

Sarah Sullivan

Hairouna, 2024 – ongoing

Although Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has officially been independent ­since 1979, the British colonial domination that lasted over two centuries still shapes the social, economic and political foundations of this island group. In Hairouna, photographer Sarah Sullivan turns her gaze on the young residents of SVG who are striving to overcome the persistent effects of colonial power structures and economic tensions in their quest to achieve cultural emancipation and self­determination for their Indigenous ­heritage – far removed from the influence of British ­politics. The title Hairouna (Land of the Blessed) refers to the original Indigenous name of this island state – a term from the Kalinago language that acknowledges the islands’ lushness and cultural diversity. Sullivan has been spending time with some of SVG’s young residents in their private spaces since 2024, capturing the realities of their lives on film and in photography. The resulting portraits recall classical figures from art history by virtue of their composition, which, removed from the regime of the colonial gaze, reimag­ines the photographic historiography of cultural life on SVG with respect to agency and self-­projection.

 

Sarah Sullivan

Hairouna, 2024 – ongoing

Although Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has officially been independent ­since 1979, the British colonial domination that lasted over two centuries still shapes the social, economic and political foundations of this island group. In Hairouna, photographer Sarah Sullivan turns her gaze on the young residents of SVG who are striving to overcome the persistent effects of colonial power structures and economic tensions in their quest to achieve cultural emancipation and self­determination for their Indigenous ­heritage – far removed from the influence of British ­politics. The title Hairouna (Land of the Blessed) refers to the original Indigenous name of this island state – a term from the Kalinago language that acknowledges the islands’ lushness and cultural diversity. Sullivan has been spending time with some of SVG’s young residents in their private spaces since 2024, capturing the realities of their lives on film and in photography. The resulting portraits recall classical figures from art history by virtue of their composition, which, removed from the regime of the colonial gaze, reimag­ines the photographic historiography of cultural life on SVG with respect to agency and self-­projection.